SP Extras
by lilDBZbuddy89
Summary: ON HIATUS! Extra chapters that I didn't put into the Saiyan Princess story. Mostly character development and extra information which takes place during certain chapters of the actual story. Will eventually focus on OC and Vegeta's 7 years of training between Cell and Buu fights.
1. Chapter 1

**Milestones**

Age 757, 14th December

6 months and 19 days old

The crying had been constant throughout most of the night. Bulma stared at the dark ceiling with blood-shot eyes, begging to be given at least a couple of hours sleep! Without much of a thought she flipped her covers off and wandered into the room next door: her daughter's room. The shrill cry grew louder as she opened the door. Wearily she dragged her feet to the cot and picked her teething baby up from her bed.

Bulma's six-month old baby had been teething for the past week. The discomfort she was clearly going through was having a knock-on effect on her mother and Bulma was finding herself struggling at times to stay awake during her meetings! She used to think she had a demanding life with her career; she'd learnt the true meaning of demanding during the past year-and-a-half carrying this baby inside her and then catering to her every need. Work was hard and she had no social life to speak of, apart from when her mother would assist and look after Hairiyu for a couple of hours, allowing Bulma some retail therapy or a chance to relax.

In a daze she began to coo and make soothing noises, gently rocking her baby. "Come on... calm down..."

Wandering over to the bedside desk she opened one of the drawers and after an initial bout of rummaging around, found the object she was looking for.

Having her mother present meant Hairiyu's cries were calming; this induced further as Bulma placed her teething ring to her mouth, the young baby's chubby hands grabbing the object. Bulma gently rocked her baby back and forth in her arms singing to her, albeit it was more of a drivelled mumble. She did this until her baby fell asleep from exhaustion.

When she was certain it was safe to do so and her baby wouldn't suddenly start crying again, Bulma placed her daughter back into her cot, placing the thin covers over her.

With a yawn she trudged out of the room and back to her own bed, exhausted and knowing tomorrow would be a long, hard day.

Age 758, 2nd April

10 months and 8 days old

"Mama, have you seen Hairiyu?" Bulma asked as she walked into the living room looking a little worried. "She's not in her high chair eating her food!"

Mrs Brief looked up from her magazine, "No I'm afraid not. I'll help you look for her."

The two women began to turn the living quarters of Capsule Corp upside down looking for the adventurous baby. Bulma couldn't believe how much of a handful this little baby was – she'd scoot off if Bulma turned her back even for a second! She had some pretty unusual behaviour at times; some which Bulma concluded were bizarre. A couple of times she could have sworn her daughter was floating just above her chair! Other times her daughter's hair would stand a little on end with almost no explanation. The only thing Bulma could come up with was static yet where would it have come from?

The heiress was growing more and more anxious by the second. Where had her daughter gone? She wasn't even a year old; how was it this baby could crawl at a reasonably fast pace already?

"BULMA, SHE'S HERE!"

The sound of her mother's shouting voice reached Bulma's ears and she bolted through to the room her mother was in – the kitchen. Hairiyu was crying from the sounds of it. A look of shock overcame Bulma as she saw what her daughter was covered in.

"Don't worry; it's cold," Mrs Brief knew what her daughter was thinking; she was busy wiping her soaking, screaming granddaughter down. "Sorry dear, she must have gotten to the watering can I'd left on the side; I was going to water the indoor plants and must have forgotten about it!"

Bulma took her crying daughter from her mother's hands, Hairiyu instinctively clutching to her mother with chubby wet hands and unintentionally getting water over her mother! Bulma wasn't too concerned over her own well-being.

"I hope she doesn't get a cold or pneumonia from this! I can't believe I let you get away from me again!"

"Don't blame yourself dear, it happens to every parent," Mrs Brief consoled. "Put a hair-dryer and a towel on her and she should be ok. I'll clean up the puddle and tend to the plants."

Bulma took the hand-towel off her mother and briskly walked down the corridor to her room, wiping Hairiyu down. "What am I gonna do with you?" She asked looking down at her shivering daughter.

Hairiyu babbled something back at her mother, blue eyes watching her mother's facial expression and quietening down.

As soon as they reached Bulma's room, Hairiyu was changed out of her damp clothes and dressed in fresh ones before having the blow-dryer put to her face! The loud noise of the small machine made her whimper a little but the warm air seemed to keep her from crying. The baby sat supported by her mother, eyes clamped shut as the air blasted towards her.

"There we go, all better now!" Bulma sighed shutting the power off. "Honestly, I don't know why mama decided to leave her watering can around like that! Come to think of it, I'm not sure how you even managed to get hold of it!"

Bulma raised Hairiyu up into the air; the baby's tail flickering around. Bulma had seen her try to use it as an extra limb on more than one occasion however this had never worked; she'd dropped her bottle more times than Bulma cared to mention thanks to her tail!

It wasn't like she wasn't wary of it. Bulma knew the danger of her daughter having that tail; something she'd learned the hard way from her first adventures with Goku. The memory of him looking at the full moon that night was still clear in her mind. She took every precaution to make sure her daughter never saw the full moon. She'd naturally send her daughter to bed at an early time, make sure the black-out curtains didn't let any moonlight in and interfere with it with her daughter's nightlight. A bonus was that the moon's light didn't naturally pour through her daughter's window but Bulma was still taking extra precautions.

She'd kept her tail because as much as she knew of the dangers, Bulma couldn't seem to bring herself to having something of her daughter's cut off! Her motherly instinct was interfering and she knew it!

"Ma... mama..."

Something snapped Bulma from her thoughts, something warm on her lap.

"Not again! I've already had to change once..." She'd spotted the wet patch through her daughter's clothing, her fresh new clothing she'd just put her into! With a sigh the heiress placed her wailing baby down and walked over to her stock of nappies.

It wasn't easy needing to balance being a mother and being the soon-to-be boss of a global corporation.

Age 758, 8th October

1 year, 4 months and 13 days old

The cat stared nonchalantly as it sat observing from the couch. Its eyes were fixated on the youngest member of its owner's family, watching as she stumbled and tried to find her footing once more. With relative ease Hairiyu stood up and began to totter around her play-pen, babbling nonsensical words.

Her gaze fell on the cat. She charged towards it, running straight into the play-pen wall which knocked her back and off her feet!

The impact had startled her for the briefest of moments before she began to cry; her grandmother getting up and walking over to her, "Now what did I say about running too fast in the play-pen? You poor little dear..." She picked up her crying granddaughter and sat her down on her lap, bouncing her up and down. This quickly stopped Hairiyu from crying.

"... Nana," Hairiyu looked up at the blonde woman, "Hung'y."

"You're still hungry? You had your dinner under an hour ago sweetheart, I don't think your mother would like me feeding you more," Mrs Brief shook her head.

Hairiyu shook her head, "Food, food, food!" She protested. "Food, food!"

Mrs Brief shook her head once more, this time with a sterner look. "You're not allowed any more food!"

"No, food!" Hairiyu wailed. "Food, food, food! Nana, food!"

The constant protesting and the need screaming at her in her own mind made Mrs Brief contemplate an idea.

"... Don't tell your mama I gave you this..." She placed her granddaughter back in her play-pen and walked into the kitchen; Hairiyu stood eagerly at the edge of the pen waiting for her grandmother to return with food, fingers gripping on the plastic railings.  
Indeed she did return with a bottle of milk. Hairiyu's eyes lit up as she took the bottle from her and gulped the drink down.

"For someone who's only fourteen months old, you eat an awful lot and seem to take solids well," Mrs Brief noted. "Your mother wasn't so lucky you know, she only learned not to choke on food when she was twice your age!"

"Mama! Mama!" Hairiyu cooed. "Mama!"

"Mama's working at the moment but she'll be finished soon," Mrs Brief replied.

It didn't take long for Hairiyu to finish the drink, her grandmother taking back the empty bottle.

"I'll be right back." She rose to her feet and walked back into the kitchen, Hairiyu watching as she vanished once again.

The grey cat which had been perched on the sofa pounced and landed softly on the floor inside of the play-pen, startling Hairiyu and making her jump back a little. Cautiously the young toddler stared the cat down, watching it intensely as its green eyes watched her.

Showing little interest in her the cat turned and sat beside the railings of the pen.

Hairiyu smiled and waddled towards it. "Kidi!" Her way of saying kitty blurted from her throat.

The sudden approach made the feline nervous and it leapt over the railings just before Hairiyu could catch it, disheartening the toddler. She watched as the cat waltzed over towards the door, curious and wanting to follow. She wanted to examine the strange creature more.

Without much thought Hairiyu clambered over the railings, knocking them down and landing on her hands in the process. Unlike earlier she did not cry, instead she kept on running, chasing after the cat and out of the room.

Mrs Brief's head appeared around the corner; she'd come to investigate the sudden crash.

The empty room sent a chill down her spine.

"... Where'd she go?"

-

The cat continued to slink across the corridor, aware it was being stalked by the curious toddler. Not too far behind, Hairiyu was toddling after the feline, able to keep a decent pace despite her young age. She didn't want the kitty to get away from her; she wanted to play with it. "Kidi, kidi! Pway!"

The cat's pace suddenly quickened. To Hairiyu's amazement the cat suddenly vanished below the floor! Curious and determined not to lose it, she continued to follow...

Something stopped the toddler.

Stairs.

Hairiyu wasn't confident with stairs; it looked like a big drop to her. Her balance wasn't good. Even as she stopped she found herself having to support her weight against the wall.

She watched anxiously as the cat disappeared down the stairs, wanting to go after it but fearing the drop before her. The conflict inside was too much, tears began to well up in the overly-emotional girl as she slumped against the wall at the top of the stairs, one hand to her mouth in fear. It was too scary!

With a loud wail Hairiyu began to cry, frustrated she couldn't get her own way and unable to deal with the conflict in interests.

It hadn't gone unheard.

"There you are! Hairiyu! Hairiyu darling, come over here!" Mrs Brief appeared, whisking the crying toddler off the floor and into her arms. "What have I told you about walking off like that?"

Hairiyu leaned back to look at her grandmother, tears streaming down her pink cheeks. "Kidi..." She sobbed.

"Were you chasing kitty?" Mrs Brief asked, now walking the two of them back to the living room. "Kitty must not have wanted to play, he probably went to the garden to do some kitty-business! Aww wipe those tears, come on now, don't cry." She wiped the tears from her granddaughter's face. "Kitty will be back to play soon."

"... Kidi pway?" Hairiyu sniffed up a line of snot falling from her nose, rubbing her face with her chubby hand and messing up her fringe.

"Of course," Mrs Brief nodded, relieved to see a ghost of a smile appear on her granddaughter's face. _'Still, she is a mobile little thing,'_ she added to herself.

Age 460, 2nd July

3 years, 1 month and 7 days old

The hot sun was beaming over the lawn of the large complex. Outside in the garden, Bulma and her family were having a barbeque. Yamcha and Puar were also around.

The large parasol was of particular interest to Hairiyu; she found it strange that it blocked out the light coming from the big bright thing in the sky. She sat in the shade along with her grandfather, her colouring set and some paper with her. She'd stopped her drawing to look up at the pretty colours of the parasol...

"Looks like it's almost ready now," Bulma smiled.

"It smells delicious!" Puar replied.

"Usually Bulma's not the best of cooks but she always manages to out-do herself when it comes to barbeques!" Yamcha joked, bottle of beer in his hand.

Bulma shot the long-haired man an annoyed look before returning back to her food.

Dr Brief looked down to his three-year-old granddaughter who'd resumed her drawing. " What are you drawing, Hairiyu?"

"Our howse," Hairiyu answered.

"Oh! It's a very good picture of our house!" Dr Brief encouraged her. "It's very big, isn't it?"

"Very big howse," Hairiyu nodded with a smile, reaching for the yellow felt-tip pen. "Lots of rooms! It's bigger than the other howses."

"That it is, that it is," Dr Briefs nodded.

Puar looked down at the small picture, "So, how old are you, Hairiyu?"

"This much," Hairiyu held up three fingers.

"How many fingers are you holding up, Hairiyu?" Bulma prompted.

"Um..." Hairiyu counted her fingers quietly, "... Thwee!"

"That's right, good girl!" Bulma cooed.

"She's a smart one," Dr Brief ruffled her daughter's hair affectionately. "She's going to be as smart as her mother soon!"

"Alright everyone, the drinks are ready," Mrs Brief called as she wandered from the house.

"Food's ready too, everyone dig in!" Bulma added.

-

They'd been at it for over an hour now. Hairiyu'd been able to hear them through the walls of her room as she lay in her small bed, trying to get to sleep. She didn't really know why they were arguing.

One minute her mother and Yamcha seemed to be friends, and then the next moment they weren't. Hairiyu hadn't seen much of it; her grandparents had taken her back indoors so she could do a little bit of reading and be sent to bed.

"... I can't believe you have the nerve to even show your face today!" Her mother's voice was muffled but Hairiyu could make out the words. She sounded angry; Hairiyu found it scary even if that anger was not directed at her! Her mama was scary.

"I told you already, I made a mistake Bulma! It's not like you've been totally innocent and loyal in all we've been through!"

"What the hell are you talking about? I've never gone behind your back – in the ten years we have been going out with each other we've always broken up over something you did!" Her mother yelled.

"Bulma you had someone else's kid!"

There was silence.

A lot of silence.

Hairiyu heard her mother mumble something quietly before she heard footsteps pass her door. She had no way of knowing that Bulma had asked Yamcha to leave, Yamcha had walked away, and now her mother lay slumped against the wall sobbing her eyes out...

It took a while but she finally managed to nod off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**For the Greater Good**

The wind whistled through the mountains surrounding the plains. In a field one Saiyan warrior lay defeated and dead. Another lay nearby with his friends close to him; one kneeling down beside him.

The battle had ended a couple of minutes ago with both Saiyans knocked down by Piccolo's new technique. The rest of the gang who'd been at Kame House when their Saiyan friend met his long-lost brother had come to investigate and assist. They were too late.

"Goku, don't die!" Krillin cried, holding onto Goku's limp hand.

"Gohan's alright. He's just knocked out," Bulma called; she was concerned for her friend's life but also hadn't found her daughter either. Just what had happened to her? "... Can any of you sense Hairiyu?" She asked, getting desperate.

"Try the crater over there," Piccolo answered, much to Bulma's suspiciousness for the former villain. "Son Goku's boy and your child were locked away in his space ship; Raditz told us whilst we were fighting. No doubt she is still in the crater."

"... He's telling the truth," Goku nodded. "... At least you guys... won't get yelled at by Chichi..." His hand began to weaken; Krillin noticing this and turning back to his friend. Goku's eyes turned to the bald monk.

"... Hey Krillin... Dying sucks... don't it?"

"Don't say stuff like that," Krillin trembled close to tears, "We'll bring you back with the Dragonballs."

Goku's eyes began to close as his ki began to fade away. "... Thanks..."

His eyes closed and he exhaled.

Goku went silent. He lay motionless on the grass. The last flicker of his life force had gone.

Krillin couldn't bear the thought. Frustrated he screwed up his face desperately trying to fight back against the sorrow, failing miserably and letting the tears stream down his face, screaming out in pain. "GOKU!"

Bulma wiped away a tear; she couldn't believe that Goku of all people had been the one to die alongside his evil brother. The Earth's strongest fighter was gone.

Goku's body suddenly vanished from sight!

Krillin, Master Roshi and Bulma all gazed on in confusion.

Piccolo smirked, "Kami... it looks like he still has plans for Son Goku after all."

"Bulma, where is the dragon radar?" Master Roshi asked.

"I gave it to Goku so he could track down his son..." Bulma gasped. "... Please don't tell me it disappeared along with him?"

No Dragon Radar would make it incredibly difficult to find one Dragonball let alone seven of them!

"That strange device you use to track down the Dragonballs fell out of Goku's pocket as we were fighting," Piccolo sneered, "How convenient for you."

"I'll go look for it," Master Roshi decided, walking away from the others.

"Well that's a relief to hear," Bulma sighed, "That thing took far too long for me to make!" At least now they had a means to bring their fallen comrade back to life after his vicious and heartless brother had managed to get him killed... Yet there was still something that Bulma couldn't work out. "... Just how did Goku's brother know where he was anyway? How did he track him down?"

"The strange device on his face," Piccolo answered, being unusually co-operative for once! "It appears to locate and pick up a person's ki or battle power as he referred to it."

Bulma and Krillin looked over to Raditz's dead body, spotting the strange green plate over his eye. Now that he mentioned it, that machine did look a little odd; Bulma had never seen anything like it!

"L-Listen Krillin, could you go and fetch that machine off of him while I look for my daughter?" Bulma was a little creeped out by it all; she didn't want to have to go anywhere near that corpse!

Krillin stared at her in disbelief, "M-M-Me? I'm not exactly comfortable doing that either!"

"Just go and get it!" Bulma snapped turning and walking over towards the crater behind them. Krillin frowned and gulped, bravely making his way towards the dead Saiyan fighter mumbling a little to himself.

Bulma reached the edge of the crater and looked down a little reluctantly, edgy of how close to the side of the crater she was and a little paranoid the ground below her feet would crumble. Peering down over the edge she could see it was about a fifteen foot drop to the bottom of the dent in the ground. There was still a large portion of what Bulma guessed was the alien's spaceship still intact in the centre of the hole; debris from where Gohan must have freed himself scattered throughout the crater. She couldn't see any sign of her daughter.

Krillin bent down and reluctantly reached out for the Saiyan's strange device, finding it rather easy to slip the machine off from his face. _'The things she makes me do! This is utterly revolting!'_ Krillin grumbled to himself.

Standing back up to his feet he glanced around; it appeared Master Roshi had managed to obtain the Dragon Radar as he had a small device in his hand. Krillin sighed in relief; at least that would give them something to do for the next couple of days! "Hey Bulma, I got it!" He called.

"Bring it over here," Bulma replied, still lingering around the crater. Krillin and Master Roshi made their way over towards her with both items in tow. Bulma placed the Dragon Radar in her pocket before taking the strange machine away from Krillin and began to examine it.

"... I see... so this does this... this does that... It's a little beat-up but perhaps we could use this to locate where Tenshinhan, Yamcha and Chaozu are." Bulma placed the device into her pocket along with the Dragonball Radar.

"Piccolo, you mentioned there were two more Saiyans supposedly on their way to Earth," Master Roshi remembered, turning to face the villain. The sight that beheld him caught him by surprise and fear; Piccolo appeared to be very agitated!

With a roar Piccolo sprouted a new arm!

"... It's like a lizard's tail," Krillin gawked, not sure whether to be amazed or grossed out!

"The two Saiyans are set to arrive in a year's time," Piccolo answered, "You fools should collect the Dragonballs to summon Goku back to life... in the mean time I'll be taking the two brats."

"What?" Bulma gasped. "What do you want with Hairiyu and Gohan?"

Krillin clenched his fists as an idea entered his head, "I know what you're gonna do! You're gonna eat them!"

"I AM NOT!" Piccolo bellowed flustered; what sort of stupid idea was that? "...The boy seems to have some sort of hidden abilities which neither you nor I can begin to fathom. If it hadn't been for the brat striking the Saiyan when he had then I don't think we would have been able to defeat him. I am the only one who could possibly teach him to control these hidden powers he seems to hold."

"Let's plan this through first and discuss this with his mother before..." Master Roshi was cut off by a glare from the villain.

"We don't have time for discussing anything!" Piccolo snapped. "I'm taking both of them whether you like it or not; try to stop me and I'll kill you all!"

"W-Wait!" Bulma cried. "You've said why you're taking Gohan but I still don't understand why you're taking my daughter too! If it's about teaching her how to fight then Krillin or Master Roshi can do that and besides, Hairiyu's not interested in fighting!"

"Your child appears to also have Saiyan blood in her because of the tail," Piccolo answered, "Goku's son and your daughter are at least half human and half Saiyan... I suspect that if the boy has these strange powers then your brat has them too!"

He raised a hand up, forcing the others to put up their guard. Lifting a single finger, Gohan suddenly began to float up into the air.

Bulma turned to see her daughter rising out of the crater; she appeared to either be unconscious or asleep. A mixture of worry and relief struck the woman momentarily, the relief pushed aside as soon as Piccolo grasped onto her unconscious daughter.

"Stop!" Master Roshi cried.

"Just what kind of training are you going to put them through anyway?" Krillin bellowed.

"The girl's mother is here!" Master Roshi pointed towards Bulma. Her facial expression caught his curiosity; she seemed to be concentrating on something.

"... Bulma?" Krillin had noticed it too.

"... Train her," Bulma mumbled, catching Master Roshi and Krillin by surprise.

"What are you saying Bulma? This is Piccolo here!" Krillin squawked.

"Make her as strong as you can," Bulma added facing the demon.

"When the two Saiyans arrive in a years' time, these two will be fully fledged fighters," Piccolo grabbed the two floating children and held them under his arms. "Bother their training in any way or try to confront me and I shall kill you."

With that, the demon took to the skies with the two unconscious children in tow.

Bulma collapsed onto her knees. Had she just made the biggest mistake of her life?

Krillin knelt down beside her and put a hand on her shoulder, still reeling with shock by her decision. "... Are you feeling right in the head Bulma?"

Master Roshi frowned. "... Well I guess with the pressure and all, it was a little difficult not to let Piccolo have his way."

"No, that's not it," Bulma answered, still looking down upon the ground. "... It would be useful for her to learn some martial arts... so she can defend herself and all..."

Krillin cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "I'm afraid I'm not sure I follow you, Bulma."

"I couldn't protect her from that monster Goku and Piccolo fought," Bulma mumbled down at her knees. "At the very least... learning some martial arts would give her the skills to defend herself. She'll need them."

There were other reasons which Bulma wasn't willing to discuss. Reasons which had come about before Hairiyu had even been born. The announcement of two new Saiyans coming to Earth had reminded her of Hairiyu's biological father. He was a strange man; Bulma could still remember what he wore during their brief encounter almost five years ago. At first Bulma had just assumed he was a freak with a tail just like Goku (though she'd never mentioned this) but if Goku was a Saiyan alien and the Saiyan warriors coming where far stronger than Raditz...

Bulma had the feeling Hairiyu's biological father would take her away if he could. He'd mentioned he'd return at some point. Bulma'd brushed it off after a couple of months thinking he was just one of those guys who made promises they had no intention of keeping. Now it had clicked he would probably return after all.

That was why she had to fight. Bulma didn't want her daughter to remain helpless as she had been during the Raditz encounter. Bulma couldn't protect her from these aliens but perhaps her daughter, who was half alien, would be able to protect herself if properly trained.

Piccolo was by far the strongest candidate for the job now that Goku was gone.

"... Bulma?" Krillin's voice called Bulma away from her thoughts. "You ok?"

Bulma rose to her feet. "Come on, we've gotta start looking for the Dragonballs and for the others too!"


	3. Chapter 3

**In the Wild**

Age 761

3 weeks after Goku's death...

The rain hammered down on the ground, almost flooding the plains. The surface water ran past the cave entrance where the two had stayed for the past three weeks. Neither had wanted to venture out too far in case of danger. On more than one occasion they'd been woken to the sound of dinosaurs stampeding and had feared one may knock their makeshift home down or worse...

"I don't like it..." Hairiyu spat her tongue out.

Gohan frowned, this had been the fifth time they'd had no choice but to eat fish and the fifth time Hairiyu'd not liked it.

"Fish tastes bad!" Hairiyu sulked. "... Why are there no restaurants or fast food places? I want proper food!"

"There's not a lot of choice out here," Gohan frowned, quietly eating his cooked fish. "I'm sorry; this was all I could find!"

"... At least we have some berries..." Hairiyu mumbled sulking, reaching for one small leaf carrying the berries she'd managed to collect.

"Hey, don't eat all of them by yourself. We have to share those," Gohan perked up.

"Aww but I'm still hungry," Hairiyu pouted. "I don't like fish! Can't I swap my fish for your berries?"

"I don't really want any more fish and no berries," Gohan frowned.

"That's not fair! That means you get to eat what you like and I don't!" Hairiyu was getting louder; she was becoming frustrated. It had been weeks since either of them had eaten properly or slept properly. Sleeping on the hard ground with the howls and scary sounds of the dark was horrifying for the both of them!

"But if I swapped with you, I wouldn't get to eat what I like and you do. My mother always taught me to eat a balanced diet." Gohan replied. "I know you don't like fish but you should eat it; it's good brain food!"

"I don't like this fish; I don't want to eat it," Hairiyu protested. "I wish I had ice-cream or some custard or strawberries! This fish is gross! You're mean Gohan, you won't swap with me! You like this fish! It's not fair!"

"Don't eat it then," Gohan growled growing a little annoyed with her constant whining. "No one's telling you that you have to eat that fish – you could just leave it and eat your share of the berries!"

"Fine!" Hairiyu pouted, throwing her fish on the floor and eating her berries in a sulk.

-

The stars barely lit up the night. The long shadows were barely visible across the ground since the moon was gone.

Hairiyu wasn't sure what time it was but her stomach was growling at her. As it was Gohan had eaten his portion of the berries and all of his fish and was now fast asleep. Hairiyu had been sleeping until her hunger had woken her. It felt like years since she'd been asleep.

She sat up in the dark, just about able to make out the remains of her half-eaten fish. Just looking at it made her feel sick! She wasn't used to eating food so raw as this; she missed her meals that her grandmother and mother would cook for her. She was used to luxury – she was the heir to the most famous and richest company in the world! She'd never had the opportunity to live this way... and she didn't enjoy it.

Hairiyu shakily got to her feet. She knew she had to find food but also knew there were predators around at night. Still she had her sword. Maybe... maybe she'd be able to find something nearby...

Against her better judgement, Hairiyu grabbed her sword and left the cave into the darkened skies. Maybe there'd be a fruit bush or something...

-

The sun's rays barely made it around the corner of the cave entrance. Gohan stretched and yawned as he came to, slowly getting up and yawning once again.

The silence of the cave was broken by his stomach rumbling. "... I gotta eat..." He looked around to see if Hairiyu was still sleeping.

She wasn't there.

Gohan got to his feet. "... Hairiyu?" He called, walking around the small cave to see if she was hiding somewhere. No sign of her – or her sword. Gohan began to grow concerned. Where was she?

Unsure of where she'd gone, Gohan grabbed his sword. "She can't have gone far... I wonder why she left?"

-

Hairiyu yawned and opened her eyes. Something big was blocking out the light from where she lay, whatever she was on was quite warm and cosy...

A loud squawk sent the adrenaline through her and Hairiyu jolted up to find herself laying in a nest with three baby pterodactyls! Scared she was about to be eaten, she looked down on the edge of the nest, gulping when she saw the distance between it and the ground. Just how had she gotten up here anyway?

She couldn't stay here but she couldn't see a safe way to climb down. Hairiyu began to grow anxious; what was she going to do?

The baby pterodactyls were squawking like mad at her, Hairiyu wasn't sure why they were making so much racket.

Then the sound of a louder cry reached her ears. It could only mean one thing – their mother was around!

Taking one last look down between the nest and the ground, Hairiyu gulped and closed her eyes.

One of the baby pterodactyls managed to pinch at her foot, knocking Hairiyu forwards and out of the nest! She screamed although the wind rushing past her ears almost stopped herself from hearing it!

Hairiyu crashed to the ground with a thud. "Ow!"

Dazed but temporarily out of danger, she got to her feet, surprised she was more or less unscathed. "... I've gotta be more careful! Time to find some food."

She wasn't sure how she'd ended up in what looked like the woods but she continued on; sure she'd find something to eat soon.

-

Gohan ran as fast as he could. Behind him was a sabre-toothed tiger, hot on his heels and looking for breakfast! Apparently Gohan was on the menu!

"Someone help me!" Gohan wailed terrified.

-

The drop wasn't too far down; the fact she'd managed to find her way back to the lake had disheartened her a little. A lake meant she'd find fish. She didn't want a fish... but she did need water.

Hairiyu climbed down the side of the cliff wall, slipping and falling down the last half. "... Why me?" She wailed, flinching when she realised she'd hurt her knee. It was grazed and stung when she moved it.

Knowing she'd need to ignore it and the tears in her eyes Hairiyu walked to the edge of the water and squatted down, cupping the clear water in her hands and wiping it over her face. She cupped again and this time began to drink it. It was incredibly cold but refreshing. She was hoping since there was a lake here she'd find some bushes with berries on. Perhaps she'd better get a fish for Gohan when he woke up.

-

Gohan was still being chased, albeit at a slower pace as he and the tiger ran through the thicket, rustling up leaves and almost colliding with trees. He had no idea where he was going, forward would do just as long as he could get rid of the tiger chasing him!

There was a sudden change in his movement; Gohan screamed as he ran off the edge of a cliff, the tiger hot on his heels.

The scream was heard below by a startled Hairiyu who held a freshly caught fish in her hands...

The two crashed into the lake.

"Gohan!" Hairiyu cried startled, dropping her catch and running into the water, swimming over towards where he and the tiger had fallen. Luckily for her the lake wasn't too deep and Gohan appeared before she reached him; he was still conscious. "What happened?" She asked. "Are you ok?"

"I'm ok," Gohan coughed, suddenly springing back to life, "w-where's the tiger?"

The two spotted the feline making it back to the shore. It suddenly bolted and snatched Hairiyu's freshly caught fish!

"Hey! That's not yours!" Hairiyu protested, trying hard to run through the water after it. Naturally the tiger vanished before Hairiyu'd even gotten half-way through the water!

Gohan sighed in relief. "He stole your fish... at least he didn't try to eat us instead!"

Hairiyu frowned. "I caught that for you... Now you have no breakfast."

"Aww, it's ok, we'll just get another one!" Gohan smiled. "Why did you leave without me?"

Hairiyu looked down at her feet. "... I got hungry in the middle of the night. Maybe if I ate all my fish I wouldn't have gone out looking for food..."

"Maybe if I'd swapped you my berries you wouldn't have gone out," Gohan mumbled. "Let's go get some breakfast. I'll catch another fish and we'll get more berries for you!"

"I'm sorry," Hairiyu apologised.

"Why?" Gohan asked.

"I said you were mean, that's not true though," Hairiyu explained. "You're nice, Gohan."

"Aww, so are you," Gohan blushed, his stomach rumbling again. "... I think we should eat."

"Yeah," Hairiyu nodded. "I still haven't eaten anything and I'm really hungry!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Piccolo's Lesson**

Age 762

2 weeks after Piccolo's training begins...

"We're gonna learn how to fly today," Piccolo decided.

"Fly?" Hairiyu repeated. "We can do that?"

"Of course you can!" Piccolo snapped. "It's a demon technique which can be very useful in the heat of battle. It makes escaping or pursuing an enemy that much easier if you can also take to the sky. Don't forget the Saiyan that Goku and I fought could fly – I'm assuming the other two Saiyans coming can do the same thing! You'll be even more useless if you can't do this!"

Both Gohan and Hairiyu stood quietly, both left to their own thoughts. As much as it sounded scary to be so high up with no plane around her, Hairiyu had dreamt about flying before. To be able to do it for real sounded exciting!

"Ok, first things first; you've gotta be able to access your ki!" Piccolo instructed. "Both of you can do this; you've both managed to shoot off an energy attack before. Let's just make sure you both have sufficient control over it! Hairiyu, you go first."

"Y-Yes Mister Piccolo," Hairiyu nodded. She held her hands out before her and began to focus, the air stilling around her. She remembered what she'd been told and quietened her body down, feeling the strange sensation beginning to flow around her. Gently she pulled it to the surface, up through her arms to her hands...

There was a subtle change in her ki as the light began to emerge from her hands, a small flashing ball of energy shining in the small space between them.

"Good, it looks like you've got enough control," Piccolo nodded. "Ok, now you Gohan."

"Right," Gohan nodded. He too held his hands out cupped. Within a couple of seconds he had done what Hairiyu had.

"Alright, looks like this shouldn't take too long," Piccolo muttered. "Flying is a simple technique which works along the same basis as firing energy balls. It involves you using your ki, although the way you use it is different. Instead of trying to create a point of energy, you're trying to disperse it around you. Feel your energy in the centre of your body and then push it above you. If you're doing it correctly and as I've told you to then you should succeed. Both of you, get to work!"

"Yes sir!" Gohan and Hairiyu chanted.

Both began to focus their ki, relaxing their bodies and tried to manipulate their ki...

It took another five minutes before one of them got it right...

"Hey! I'm floating!" Hairiyu cheered excited – the excitement broke her concentration and she fell straight back on her feet, jumping backwards and almost tumbling over!

"That's what you get for not focusing!" Piccolo snapped. "Don't lose your concentration!"

Hairiyu sat up and rubbed her back; she'd knocked some lose tears free from her eyes and Piccolo's words had stung.

"Are you ok?" Gohan asked.

"... Not really," Hairiyu shook her head.

"Stop chatting and wasting time!" Piccolo barked.

Within the next two minutes Gohan had successfully floated up and – unlike Hairiyu – hadn't lost his concentration!

"Hey look! Mr Piccolo I did it!" Gohan grinned, moving around a little through the air pleased with himself.

Hairiyu managed to produce her second try and this time concentrated as much as she could. This time she didn't fall, although she couldn't keep it up for long.

"Right, now I want you to practice your flying whenever – but bear in mind if you're not training with me, you're eating or sleeping!" Piccolo demanded.


	5. Chapter 5

**Child's Logic**

Hairiyu gasped and fell backwards, eyes shooting open. The many lights on above them blinded her a little but her eyes quickly became accustomed to the brightness as the room came into view.

All three warriors were being watched by a bemused Bulma. "Well?" She asked.

"Nice moves!" Krillin smiled, leaning back on his hands. "You guys are definitely trained by Piccolo; he really trained you well!"

"I was surprised at the amount of moves you have though Krillin," Gohan praised his friend.

"Hey guys, I hate to interrupt your little training sessions and all but the ship is a mess," Bulma butted in. "Clean it up, would you?"

"B-But all of this mess is yours, Bulma. Gohan, Hairiyu and I have been cleaning up our own mess!" Krillin replied.

"Oh shut up and just do it; I'm busy!" Bulma scowled. "It's impolite for a lady to have to live in these conditions!"

Hairiyu frowned and got to her feet obediently grabbing a large plastic bag for their rubbish to go into. She agreed with Krillin but she knew better than to answer back to her mother.

"I've got lots of things to think about," Bulma sighed, stretching her arms above her head and making her way over towards the pilot's seat.

Krillin raised an eyebrow as the woman's back faced him. "... If she's a lady then I wish she wouldn't walk around in her underwear," he mumbled quietly to Gohan and Hairiyu.

Hairiyu frowned; it wasn't fair. Krillin was right; it was her mother's mess so she should be the one to tidy it up. Why was her mama so messy anyway?

It took a while before Krillin finally placed the last can into the bag; Hairiyu taking it towards the corner of the room to keep it out of the way.

"Hey, what ever happened to that Saiyan that got away?" Bulma asked, not bothering to glance back at the others despite addressing them.

The young girl's ears perked up, thoughts instantly trailing back to her father. Her father had been badly hurt, had almost been killed but thanks to Goku he'd been allowed to escape. Was he still alive? Hairiyu felt a mixture of anxiety and concern tying knots in her stomach; she felt sick.

Krillin glanced back over to Bulma, "I'm not sure."

"... I remember Goku's brother telling us that the Saiyan home world was destroyed; where would he have gone?" Bulma mused out loud. "They were space pirates after all so maybe there are other planets they've conquered that he could have gone to."

Hairiyu tilted her head; what was a space pirate? Where they like normal pirates except their pirate ships sailed in space?

"He was hurt pretty badly during our fight so my guess is he's gone to a planet with civilisation," Krillin answered. "Who knows where it is though. If we're lucky it'll be far away from Earth; that'll give us more time to prepare for him!"

"Yeah," Bulma nodded.

Krillin took a couple of steps forward hesitantly, eyes flicking between Hairiyu and Bulma. "... I'm not really sure if this is the best time to bring it up but... Piccolo suggested the Saiyan, Vegeta, was Hairiyu's father."

Hairiyu looked up to Krillin and then over towards her mother. Surely her mother would know if it was or not. she'd said she'd seen the fight after all.

Bulma did not look towards the others.

"...We saw the two Saiyans on the television and in Baba's crystal ball, that's how we knew about everyone dying... I recognised him as soon as I saw him."

Hairiyu spun around on her heels feeling very emotional and pent up about it all, "So he was definitely my dad?" She asked fists clenched and shaking. Her anger was rising quite quickly and she'd never been very good at controlling it. "Why? ...Why does dad not live with us, mama?" She asked.

"... Bulma?" Krillin asked cautiously after a while.

Bulma refused to answer.

Hairiyu's anger was bubbling. Why was her mama not answering her? Did she not want her to know? Was she doing it deliberately? Didn't she care? Her anger rose further and further the more time passed by until she couldn't take it anymore!

"I hate this!" Hairiyu cried, storming out of the room and closing the door behind her as she struggled to fight back her tears. She stomped her feet across the length of the next room before squatting down in the corner in a heap, bringing her knees to her forehead. It wasn't fair. She didn't know of any other kids around her area that only had their mama or daddy at home; all the kids had both. Why was she different? Did she not deserve them both?

What was wrong with her dad? Why did she have to have an evil dad? Why was it Gohan's dad was nice and her's wasn't?

The more she asked questions, the more it made her sad...

Someone had sat themselves down beside her. Hairiyu knew it was her mother. An arm tried to pull her closer but the stubborn girl pushed it away. She wanted answers. Hairiyu glared angrily, tears moistening her eyes. "Why is dad a bad person?" She demanded.

Bulma seemed to think a little before she answered, "... Look, sometimes people in our lives come and go... Your dad was one of those people."

Hairiyu choked out as the tears began to stream down her red cheeks, face turning sour as she tried to restrain them but failed miserably. "I don't want my dad to be a bad person... Why is it only my dad who's bad and Gohan's dad isn't?"

Bulma sat quietly as her daughter began to cry, rubbing one hand up and down her daughter's back, "alright, calm down... come on." she spoke soothingly in a bid to calm her weeping child down. "Your father doesn't live with us because he's... well... he's preoccupied with other things."

"What does that mean?" Hairiyu sniffed, glancing up and unintentionally wiping tears and the contents of her leaky nose across her face.

"It means he's... he has other things he needs to focus on." Bulma tried to make it sound softer than it actually was. "Sometimes people take a while to see what they have right in front of them and what's really important in life. Sometimes people don't do what they are supposed to do."

"Why did he try to hurt everyone? Why did he want to blow up the Earth? Why?" Hairiyu was so confused; what her mother was telling her didn't really make any sense to her. "I don't understand..."

Bulma frowned and looked away from her daughter to the ceiling. "... I think you'll understand when you're older..." was all she mumbled.

Hairiyu sniffed once more and looked at her mother's face, cuddling up to her more for emotional support more than anything. None of it made sense to her. None of it was fair. Why did her dad have to be a bad person? She didn't understand; surely if her dad was a bad person then she herself was a bad person as well... It boggled her young mind and confused her. It scared her.

"... Mama?"

"Yes dear?"

"... Am I a bad person as well?"

"Of course you're not, honey. Why would you be a bad person?"

"... Well, dad is a bad person so shouldn't I be one as well?"

Bulma looked back down at her daughter, her tears had stopped but she still seemed quite unstable. "Well let me put it this way. You're not a bad person because your mama is a good person; your nana and grandpa are good people; all of our family and friends are good people. You're a good person because of all the good people around you. Your daddy just has bad people around him so that turns him into a bad person... You may be half of him but your mother's goodness will overcome your father's badness inside you any day!"

"... Really?" Hairiyu asked wiping her eyes. "So does good beat bad then?"

"Yep," Bulma smiled, "Remember all of those bedtime stories I used to read you? How many bad guys won?"

"None," Hairiyu answered.

"See? That's proof," Bulma beamed calmly at her daughter.

Hairiyu smiled back and hugged her mother tightly. She felt slightly better about it now; perhaps there was a way for her dad to become a good guy if he was with her, her mother, her grandparents and her friends... Come to think of it, where was he?


	6. Chapter 6

Age 762

The night had fallen on what had been the first back on Earth for Bulma, Gohan and Hairiyu. The day had been eventful: planet Namek had been the centre of a ferocious battle as Goku and Freeza fought one another, whilst Porunga had moved the rest of the freshly-revived victims to Earth. Kaio had relayed the outcome of the battle to the confused Earth-bound survivors: Goku had won the battle and defeated Freeza but it had cost him a terrible price. Namek had exploded and taken the newly transformed Super Saiyan with it.

Chichi had taken the news about Goku pretty badly as expected: Goku'd only been alive for a month after just being brought back to life from his battle against his brother Raditz. In the end she'd decided not to stay for long as Gohan had a lot of catching up on his studies to do. Hairiyu wished Gohan hadn't had to leave but still had Dende's company throughout most of the day. She'd ended up showing him and a couple of other Namekians around the house.

Their Namekian guests had all taken a great interest in getting to see the sun set and the night sky draw in. Bulma had to explain to the Namekians that it was normal on this planet! Vegeta had vanished for most of the day; no one really sure where he'd gotten off to, though Bulma was sure her mother'd said something about him stalking through the shipyard where Dr Brief had been building a replica of the ship Goku'd taken to Namek.

Now the stars twinkled in the cold night sky; a sight many of the Namekians had chosen to watch as it was their first time seeing anything like it. Up in her room Hairiyu was still awake in her bed, still thinking about the same thoughts she'd had on the plane journey back. It haunted her and made her feel anxious; she didn't think she'd been much use on Namek and had only gotten in the way. She felt sad she hadn't been able to do more and really discouraged. She didn't want to let people down but she was too scared of getting hurt herself. What use would she be if she died?

She had died.

She hadn't been useful. Freeza had terrified her to her very soul. She hadn't been able to overcome her fear of the gigantic gap between their powers. She'd let them all down.  
Freeza had been too strong, too fast, too experienced. She was only five years old. She was a little girl. She hadn't changed...

The thoughts slowly floated around, warping into different shapes and colours. For what felt like an eternity Hairiyu drifted through her haunting thoughts. She could hear different voices talking to her: they were quiet but menacing, hissing words such as 'failure' and 'scaredy-cat'. The voices sounded familiar, she was sure amongst them she could hear Gohan, Krillin and her mother. Then her memories slowly started to replay back through her head, she felt as if she were reliving them in a twisted sequence that continued to loop around her head...

Hairiyu bolted upright. Her breathing was rapid, her heart thumping in her chest as a cold sweat rolled down her face. The sensation meant she felt very much awake yet it was still pitch-black outside.

It'd been a nightmare. Freeza'd been chasing her and killing her friends. She'd been trying desperately to save everyone but found she wasn't able to help at all. She'd then fallen and woken up.

It had felt so real.

-

It had been a week now.

For most nights Hairiyu'd woken in the middle of the night because of bad dreams. The young child felt tired during the day, losing interest in playing with her toys or Dende, or chatting to anyone. She was growing anxious around bedtime because she knew when she closed her eyes she'd be greeted by Freeza's face and the dreams would start all over again. How long was this going to go on for?

She sat downstairs at the table, playing with her breakfast showing little interest in eating it.

"... Hey you, finished already?" Bulma's voice brought her out of her daydream. "You've barely touched your cereal."

"Y-Yeah, I'm not hungry yet," Hairiyu answered with a smile.

Bulma's concerned face made her feel terrible; she had a feeling she knew what her mother was going to say and it made her want to well up.

"You look tired," Bulma walked towards her daughter and placed a hand across her forehead. "... Your temperature's normal, as always!" She was referring to the fact that throughout her life Hairiyu'd never fallen ill. It had baffled everyone but at the same time it was a blessing!

"I'm ok," Hairiyu lied.

"... Really?" Bulma wasn't convinced.

Hairiyu tried to keep a nonchalant facial expression as best as she could. It was easlier said than done; she hated lying to her mother. Bulma had always seemed to have this magical ability to always know when something was bothering her daughter; it drove Hairiyu nuts! There was little doubt in her mind once again her mother would see past her mask and probe further. She knew it was coming, no matter how hard she tried to hide it, one question would always be asked.

"... What's wrong Hairiyu?"

There it was. No matter how hard she tried that sentence always, always set her off. Hairiyu's lip began to quiver and she caved in, suddenly bursting into tears and holding onto her mother, shoulders shuddering as her body jerked. She hated that question and how it always set her off!

Despite her daughter's sudden outburst Bulma returned her daughter's hug much to Hairiyu's relief. She just wanted a hug from her mother right now; that was all.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Bulma asked softly.

Hairiyu sniffed and hiccupped; it was hard talking when she was crying! There was no point trying to hide anything from her mother so she may as well just come out with it.

"... I... k-keep... having n-nightmares..." She answered in her fits of tears. "... They're horrible..."

"Right, what happens in these nightmares?" Bulma asked rubbing her daughter's back affectionately in a bid to calm her down. She hadn't seen her daughter so distressed since the journey to Namek when she'd asked about her father being evil.

Hairiyu felt a little embarrassed answering this for some reason; would her mother think she was strange? "... Everyone... k-keeps... being hurt... I can't... stop it from h-happening... No matter how hard I-I try..."

"Ok, ok, calm down now," Bulma mumbled. "It's ok honey. Sometimes when we're troubled or worried about something, it makes us have nightmares... Has anything been making you worry?"

Hairiyu was beginning to calm down, she nodded silently against her mother.

"Do you want to tell mama what it is?" Bulma asked.

"...Ok..." Hairiyu began to tell Bulma about how she'd felt since they'd arrived back from their adventures on Namek. She felt stupid saying it all but she knew she couldn't hide anything from her mother, not when she felt this sad over something. To her relief Bulma seemed to take it well.

"Ok, so you're sad you couldn't help anyone as much as you wanted to?" Bulma summarised.

Hairiyu nodded in silence, wiping a stubborn tear that had somehow managed to fall loose from her eye. She didn't like crying in front of anyone though recently she'd found herself unable to control her tears. It irritated her and she felt a small sense of shame. Piccolo would not have been impressed.

"Honey, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret..." Bulma whispered. "Promise not to tell anyone?"

Hairiyu nodded curiously, interested in what this secret was! She loved finding out things!

Bulma crouched closer to her daughter. "Most five year olds wouldn't have done what you did," she whispered, "do you know why?"

"... No." Hairiyu shook her head.

"It's because they'd be too scared to!" Bulma answered. "What you did on Namek – no matter how small it was – was incredibly brave and heroic. If I knew I was going to fight someone far, far, far stronger than me, I'd have ran away or cried when I was your age! You on the other hand stayed. You stayed to help your friends. You're such a brave girl and it's natural to be scared of dangerous things or people. Almost everyone would have been scared of what you had to face."

Hairiyu silently nodded, listening to her mother's words. She guessed there was some truth to it all but she wasn't totally convinced.

"You helped save Earth from the Saiyans and you helped to wish Piccolo back to life," Bulma added. "... Why do you think Piccolo decided to train you?"

"... Um..." Hairiyu wasn't sure. "...I don't know."

"Well I do," Bulma smiled, "He wanted to train you because he knew you could be a hero and help your friends. He could tell you were strong. He's a pretty strong fighter himself so that's gotta mean something. I doubt he'd be wrong about something like that!"

"I guess so..." Hairiyu replied.

" Let me know if these nightmares keep on happening, ok? I'd suggest seeing if you can work out what you want to do," Bulma suggested. "I think then you'll be able to stop those nightmares..."


	7. Chapter 7

Age 762

The wind was strong and the sound of the nearby waterfall was incredibly noisy. She was barely able to hear her own thoughts, thankfully sensing ki was far easier. Hairiyu floated in mid-air amongst the mist from the gushing waters falling beside her, carefully looking for something.

She could sense he was around here somewhere.

The ground below began to growl deeply as it started to shake. The vibrations travelling through the air did not go unnoticed by the young girl. Hairiyu frantically looked around; she assumed it was who she thought it was causing the tremors! The other conclusion was that the area she was in was currently being hit by a very powerful earthquake.

In a sudden explosion of power the waterfall beside her shot forwards, drenching the startled girl! Soaking wet and now cold, Hairiyu squinted through the water droplets. She still couldn't see her former mentor but knew he was there. Against her better judgement she bolted forwards and reluctantly peered through the heavy curtain of falling water, regretting the horrifically cold water now pouring all over her!

"Piccolo!" She called, her voice echoing against the rocky walls hidden away by the sheet of water. "Mr Piccolo!"

The Namekian was indeed on the other side of the waterfall, arms crossed and legs folded. He opened one eye and glared over at her.

"Sorry, I wanted to ask you something..." Hairiyu apologised now feeling bad for disturbing his training. She was surprised he hadn't started shouting at her sooner! "I was wondering if you'd train me some more?"

Piccolo didn't answer; Hairiyu wondered what was going through his mind. She'd thought about it long and hard and had decided she'd wanted to grow and become stronger. The nightmares had continued since she'd spoken to her mother and had led her to the conclusion it was because of how weak and scared she'd felt on Namek fighting Freeza. She didn't want to be too scared to help anymore. She wanted to grow stronger so she could help, so she could come to other's rescues just like everyone had come to hers. She didn't want to rely on others to save her anymore; that was over. The only one she could see taking her on was Piccolo. Krillin was dead, Goku was dead... Her father kept on disappearing during the day and she knew he'd just say no.

_'Please Piccolo, please...'_ She gulped.

Piccolo seemed indifferent. "... Alright. You seem determined to do this... I'll give you a shot! This won't be easy kid – this is gonna make the training you did preparing for the Saiyans look like a cake-walk!"

Hairiyu sighed in relied and nodded eagerly. "I'll do my best!"

"Your training starts tomorrow kid. Get all the sleep you clearly need; I don't want anyone slowing down my own training, got it?" Piccolo added sternly.

"Right," Hairiyu nodded," Thank you Mr Piccolo!"

-

A couple of weeks passed and every morning at the crack of dawn, Piccolo would be waiting for his student to get herself out of bed and meet him on the outskirts of West City. Naturally the five-year-old would sleep in every other day due to Bulma attempting to put her foot down with the Namekian about her daughter's sleep needs!

The training was demanding and taxed the young girl. Piccolo had gotten far more powerful since returning to life, it was all Hairiyu could do to defend herself and dodge his speedy, powerful attacks. Piccolo was incredible as a warrior, many of the Namekian villagers staying at Capsule Corp had been amazed with his superior strength and speed. He had fused with Nail after all; one of Namek's greatest living warriors.

The sun was setting over West City. Hairiyu landed outside of her house with heavy feet; she felt exhausted! Once again Piccolo's training had been more like a fight for survival. At least this way she felt perhaps she could grow stronger.

Her body suddenly collapsed underneath her and she crashed onto her stomach. The concrete was hard and cold against her cheek, the sun now low in the sky, blinding her slightly.

She lay still for a moment, unsure of how long it was for...

It hadn't felt like she'd been out for long.

Suddenly her body felt fine; she couldn't feel any of her wounds Piccolo'd inflicted on her over the past couple of days. It could only be one person.

Hairiyu opened her eyes to see Dende and her mother were looking down on her. She recognised her surroundings as that of her bedroom.

"Oh thank goodness she's waking up!" Bulma looked worried. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine," Hairiyu smiled, sitting up. "Thank you for healing me Dende!"

"It's alright," Dende replied. "How did your training go today?"

"It was tough but I think I'm actually starting to enjoy it," Hairiyu smiled.

"Well I'm glad you're enjoying it, even if it does make me worry that you're with Piccolo of all people..." Bulma sighed. "You just make sure you give yourself time to rest. How about we get you something to eat?"

-

Hairiyu shot backwards as Piccolo struck her in the stomach, tripping over her own feet and crashing into the ground. She moved as fast as her body would allow her, able to narrowly dodge Piccolo's fist and rolling across the ground. Piccolo was right on her heels and fired off a ki blast, Hairiyu barely dodging the attack as scrambled to her feet and regained her balance.

Recklessly she jumped forwards – straight into Piccolo's extending arm! She'd forgotten he was capable of manipulating the length of his limbs! Piccolo grabbed her by the face and tossed her into a nearby boulder, rock crashing down around her as it shattered. All of her senses were momentarily frazzled by the loud noise and sudden pressure she felt as the rocks landed around and on her.

The pain she felt was discouraging but she refused to give in. Despite her body telling her to stay down, Hairiyu pushed against the rocks above her, desperately trying to get up but to no avail. The weight above her was too strong for her to physically move.

In an anxious attempt to free herself Hairiyu began to charge up her power, increasing her ki. With a loud yell she expelled her energy outwards, pushing the rocks away with strong force and freeing herself. Hairiyu stepped out and put up her guard immediately trying to lock onto Piccolo's ki. She spotted him above; he seemed to be waiting for her.

With a gulp she jumped up towards him with a yell.


	8. Chapter 8

Age 767

It had been a week since the defeat of Cell had taken place. The android had become the victim of his own game, taunting his young opponent upon hearing about his true capabilities only to be hideously outdone by the Super Saiyan. Gohan had completely dominated Cell but his arrogance had cost a couple of lives in the process and when push came to shove and the final Kamehameha battle ensued, he wasn't entirely sure he could pull through. When he'd spoken to his friend for the first time after the ordeal, he told her he was being coached by his father from the otherworld. His father... her brother from the future who'd come to warn them all about the entire ordeal... both had been killed at the hands of Cell before finally Gohan defeated the android. A wish to Shenron had bought Trunks back to life thankfully... but Goku had decided to remain in the otherworld to stop the Earth from being targeted, as many villains before Cell had come because of him.

Goku's death had not been easy for everyone to come to terms with. Hairiyu found herself sitting on her bed one morning gazing absent-mindedly out her window, watching as a woman walked her dog down the street eventually disappearing from view. Long after they'd vanished Hairiyu continued to stare, mood as uplifting as the thick sheet of grey that hovered over the busy city, the inhabitants oblivious to the truth. Mr Satan was their hero; he was the one they'd credited for Cell's defeat... The fools. They would never find out the truth; the only camera that'd been on the scene of the fight had broken leaving it up to the camera man, the reporter and Mr Satan to confirm what they'd witnessed. At least some good came from it all; no one would pay attention to the strange blonde-haired people that'd watched. No one would bother Gohan and his mother.

Hairiyu sighed miserably and glanced around her room. Nothing out of the ordinary; there were a couple of books piled up on her bed at the edge threatening to fall but for the time being keeping still. Everything was how she'd left it that morning, the last morning she'd been here before the Cell Games had taken place. Somehow she felt if she left it this way, Goku could somehow come back... as much as she felt she was an idiot for believing such a stupid thought. He'd trained her. He'd been the one to help her grow stronger and gave her the courage to stand up to her fears. He'd instructed her alongside Gohan on how to become a Super Saiyan and she'd done it; it had taken a while and a lot of emotions but she'd done it thanks to them. He'd seen the potential in her that only Piccolo had ever seen – and then he'd seen more. Now he was gone, Hairiyu felt torn and confused. Who was she anymore? A warrior? A child? A weakling? A hero? She didn't know. She didn't feel like anything or anyone right now, just a numb shell of something.

Up until this point her life had been mostly about training to fight off threats. There'd been the fight against the Saiyans, then the fights on Namek where she'd ultimately lost her life at the tender age of five, then the fight against Freeza and his father that amounted to nothing but being a witness, and finally training to defeat the ominous androids and eventually Cell. She was eleven years old. What was she now supposed to do? Most of her life had already been dedicated to almost suicidal missions, most of which she managed to come through alive. Now suddenly there were no more villains to defeat, there were no reasons to train and not live a normal life. What should she do with all of this freedom?

Was this how her dad now felt? Hairiyu turned her attention back to the window and looked down to the ship which he'd been using as a home and a training area for the majority of the three years prior to the androids appearance. Was he now just as lost as she felt, or was it because he'd lost the chance to defeat Goku now that he was dead? He'd done nothing but mope about for the past seven days, barely ever coming home. Hairiyu assumed he moped when he was away; what else would he be doing? He wasn't training – she never felt his ki rise high enough to suggest he was doing so.

Her curiosity got the better of her. She slipped off the side of her bed and left her room, heading down the corridor towards his room, reaching it rather quickly. From the sounds of things no one was in; she couldn't sense his ki anywhere near their home but he was still on the planet. Hairiyu sat herself against the wall beside his door and drew her knees to her face, resting her chin on them and wrapping her arms around her shins. Why was he still on the planet? He hadn't done this last time peace had momentarily come to Earth after the fights on Namek; he'd just upped and left in the ship apparently searching for Goku who was somewhere in space. She didn't get it. What was stopping him?

Hairiyu could recall the next time he'd left the planet. It had been two years ago just after she had been told by her mother she was going to be an older sister. He'd just disappeared in his spaceship leaving her and her mother to deal with the newborn soon to come. He hadn't returned until he needed to either; a week before the androids were meant to appear he'd apparently come home though no one saw him. The only sign of his return besides his ki signal was the ship which looked a little tattered from its trip into space. Initially Hairiyu'd been left speechless and confused; why would he have left knowing her mother was pregnant with his son? Then her reaction changed as the weeks went by and things seemed to return to how they'd always been. Of course he'd left; what interest did he possibly have in his kids and partner? He'd never shown any concern for them and had wanted nothing to do with Hairiyu – he wouldn't even train her! He argued constantly with Bulma, Hairiyu hearing them often in the middle of the night as she was trying to sleep; he would come in from his training and make demands for new training equipment or for something to be fixed, or just have an argument for the sake of it! Then suddenly he was to be a dad again.

'_I don't get him...'_ Hairiyu pouted crossing her brow a little. He was happy to use her mother and leave when it suited him? Just how self-centred and selfish was he? Perhaps it was not as much as she made him out to be. The memory of her alternate-timeline brother being murdered by Cell and seeing her dad's reaction (despite her own shock) made her reconsider that view. He had gone crazy and attacked Cell with such ferocity like an aggressive child reacting to having their favourite toy broken. It had been something Hairiyu'd never expected to see from him and it threw her. Was he totally self-centred and selfish? Well mostly... He had his good points though sometimes she couldn't work out what they were!

Hairiyu heard some footsteps hitting the tiled floor and scrambled to her feet, not really wanting to be found. It was coming from further down the corridor thankfully allowing her time to rush back to her room and vanish once more. Just as she dashed behind her door and peered through the small gap where the hinges joined to the wall, she could see her father had returned and vanished behind the door of the room he'd often taken to sleeping in. She sighed a small breath of relief, glad she hadn't been noticed by him. There was little desire for her to want to answer his questions regarding why she was outside his room!

It was the middle of the morning almost coming up to lunchtime. Her dad never walked around the house at this time of day; he'd be training inside that gravity room her mother had recently built for him, or training inside the ship. He'd stay in there until late evening when he would come back into the house stinking of work and demanding her mother or nana feed him. Yet here he was mid-morning heading back to that room.

Would he ever get back to his old self?

As much as she didn't want to deal with his usual self, Hairiyu hoped he would.


	9. Chapter 9

Age 767 – October

Almost five months had passed since Cell's defeat. The summer had gone and the temperature was starting to cool as the storms rolled in, autumn truly now upon them all. The leaves were slowly transforming into an array of warm reds, oranges, yellows and browns before finally they descended from their branches and scattered onto the pavement slabs and sat upon the grass until a strong enough gust of wind could sweep them away. The wind often picked up and howled rattling the window frames of the large building centred in West City though it wasn't strong enough to cause any damage.

Their morning had started early. Hairiyu'd been rudely shaken awake by her impatient father who seemed to deem her diseased whenever he had to make physical contact, other than during their sparring sessions. As soon as she'd groan and open one tired eye he'd scurry towards the door barking at her before leaving. This morning had been no different. "We're heading out. Be ready in ten minutes," he'd snapped over his shoulder as Hairiyu attempted to roll herself free from her duvet covers, not entirely sure if he'd succeeded in also making her dreams a living hell as well as her mornings. She was not a morning riser – especially when it was still pitch black outside! Despite her annoyance she would willingly obey, not wanting to lose the privilege of getting to spend time with her father, something she'd always been denied until Cell's defeat a few months ago. He'd come to her almost a month later to suddenly announce she was to meet him in his gravity chamber. Her first training lesson with him hadn't been what she'd expected as she'd done all the work by herself, adjusting to fifty times normal gravity as best she could without transforming into a Super Saiyan. The couple of hours had left her joints aching for almost a week!

Hairiyu's life had changed dramatically. No longer was her main goal of her day to train for some upcoming threat; now it was about living a normal life and going to school. Her mother had sent her to a special school for the children of Capsule Corp employees. As she had told Gohan, the majority of the children her age seemed nice though she felt they wanted to be her friend just because she was the heir to the company! Thus she didn't have anyone at school she felt she could trust or become friends with, they all seemed so focused on getting in her good books, probably so their parents could benefit in some way. Hairiyu wasn't a fool and she wasn't going to continue having to deal with these fools. As soon as she could move onto Middle School in April of the next year she'd be heading to a public school to get away from these suck-ups.

Because of school, Hairiyu had to suffer long, tiring days as her father insisted she trained. The main part of the day was for school, the evenings were for doing homework and relaxing. That left early morning before school as the time for her to train with her dad. There was no other way she could get an adequate amount of training in; her parents had spent many hours exchanging snide remarks about her schooling and training and Hairiyu'd resigned herself to sitting in the middle of her squabbling parents. Bulma was adamant their daughter would get an education whilst her father was equally adamant she would continue to live the life of a warrior. By the time evening came along Hairiyu was often far too tired to concentrate on her homework properly and despite being allowed to stay up later, Hairiyu would fall asleep around nine just to make sure she'd get enough sleep before her father'd rudely wake her up again!

The wind now brushed past her cheeks sending a chill through her tired body as she followed her father through the air, the two soaring over the land passing over it with such speed, anyone below wouldn't be aware of their presence as they'd be gone before they could even become aware. Hopefully they wouldn't be going too far away from West City; Hairiyu would still need to return home and grab some breakfast before getting changed into her school uniform and making sure her bag was packed and ready for school! Her anxiety weighed on her mind for a while and it wasn't until she was adamant he was taking her too far she spoke out, "Where are we going?"

Vegeta did not immediately answer much to her annoyance and further concern. "I'll need to be able to get back home in time for school!" She added in a louder tone than before. Still no response. Hairiyu pouted and grumbled under breath. Her ki suddenly flared up as she transformed into a Super Saiyan and shot forwards, cutting him off in mid-air and causing him to abruptly stop, the usual scowl on his face deepening as his daughter opposed him looking almost as infuriated. "If I don't get my breakfast I'm going to be messed up for the rest of the day! Where are we going and will I be able to get back home in time?" She demanded.

The tone didn't sit too well with Vegeta but for the moment he ignored it, "We're not going back for breakfast." He responded with a gruff voice.

Hairiyu raised one eyebrow baffled whilst another part of her grew worried, "What do you mean we're not going back? I don't have all morning like you to train – I've got school remember?"

"We'll catch our breakfast here," Vegeta nudged his gaze down to the densely forested ground below them which only now did Hairiyu fully take notice of. Her stomach churned at the thought of having to eat in the middle of nowhere. Sure her survival training had taught her not to be squeamish when it came to killing animals (not that she ever had because the only meat she'd ever eaten were fish and dinosaur tail!), it had been years since she'd had to use these skills and she'd grown ever used to home-cooked food. Having to return to that type of hunter-gatherer role knowing it was not vital to her survival did not sit well with her.

Vegeta did not wait for a response from her, suddenly descending rapidly into the thick greenery below them, a startled Hairiyu following suite. Through the dense green shrubbery of the trees she fell, suddenly plummeting into a thicker world of fog which had been hidden by the tops of the tall trees now towering over her. She wasn't entirely sure where the floor was and cautiously slowed her fall paying particular attention to her feet until she was certain she was standing on solid ground. Hairiyu squinted through the densely packed trees, guessing she could see up to a metre ahead of herself. A frustrated grimace crawled across her face and her body began to shiver as the damp cold air clung to her. She was glad she'd been sensible enough to put on her thicker coat and put on a hat otherwise she'd be complaining about being cold and unprepared!

Her father was a couple of feet away to her right from what she could make out; his shadow heading towards her until he became just-about-visible and distinguishable. "Your training today will be slightly different. Instead of physically pushing yourself, you will be learning how to survive in the wild."

A confident smile emerged on her face, "No problem. I've done this before under Piccolo's instruction." She responded.

"Well then this shouldn't be too much of a problem for you," Vegeta retorted. "You'll be foraging and hunting for your own breakfast. You have one hour. We meet back at this spot and not a minute later, understand?"

"Wait, I'm doing this alone?" Hairiyu asked needing confirmation; did this mean she was getting her own breakfast or breakfast for the both of them? She didn't get an answer as Vegeta suddenly shot off into the thick fog, vanishing with a rustle of leaves. Hairiyu grunted under her breath and cursed him in her head before turning on her heels and surveying the area. She didn't have a lot to go on from what she could see; all there were was dark shadows of thick tree trunks and sodden ground. The air was thick with water and she could just about make out her breath amongst the vapours as she breathed out a sigh of distain. Her father was long gone and it was up to herself to find some food.

Then it occurred to her. How did she know there was any food here? The forest was silent save the rustling of the leaves in the breeze that flowed above her head. Would she find any animals? Would she _want_ to find any animals or would it be better just to look for fruit and berries? Hairiyu'd rather not have to kill anything if she didn't have to so she decided on foraging rather than hunting. Taking an interest in one tree in front of her with a low-hanging branch, Hairiyu leapt up and started to dash through the trees keeping her eyes peeled for any fruit.

The hour passed faster than she imagined and yet it had felt like she'd spent hours hunting and hunting for any signs of food. In the end Hairiyu'd come across a few bushes with some dark berries; no red berries at all much to her disappointment. Her only fear was that the few berries she'd found would turn out to be poisonous! _'Instinct, don't fail me now!'_ She prayed as she headed back to the area she was sure her father'd left her in. By now the trees around her were beginning to lighten though their shadows were still saturated with thick trails of water vapour, the air still heavy with fog and just as chilly as it'd been an hour ago.

The trees made way suddenly to a large meadow of grass surrounded on three sides – the only sides Hairiyu could see – of trees. The fog thinned out here to a mist and she could see a lot further afield compared to in the enclosure of the trees. Intrigued by the view she momentarily stopped her travels and landed safely on the grass, berries bulging in her small coat pockets. It was as still as anything but Hairiyu was certain she could make out a couple of small furry shadows, probably hares or rabbits as from this distance Hairiyu couldn't judge their ear length accurately enough despite her Saiyan-enhanced vision.

She had to get back to her father. Taking no more notice of the beautiful view she continued her movement diving back into the trees and dense undergrowth, soon arriving back at the spot she was sure she'd left an hour ago... Or perhaps not. She didn't feel she recognised any of the scenery around her. A little panic gripped her but then common sense prevailed and Hairiyu began to search out for her dad's ki signal. It was burning brightly through the chill of the forest. Without another word she bolted forward heading straight for the spot she could sense him at.

"You're late." Vegeta grunted as his daughter burst through a rather thick bush before him, almost catching herself off-guard with how close he suddenly was and tripping over her own feet, stopping with a stumble. Her father sat cross-legged with a few carcasses of animals around him, all of which turned Hairiyu's stomach and alarmed her, eyes quickly averted away. No matter how many times she'd seen it, dead animals always were upsetting for her. The smells were getting to her, darn her Saiyan sense of smell! Hurriedly she sat herself down on some leaves and began to dig into her pockets, taking out handfuls of berries and eating them without much other thought.

Vegeta had been keeping one eye on her as the berries had been pulled from her pockets, surveying them in case she'd been idiotic enough to find any dangerous ones. He too had noticed the lack of red berries in the forest and in all honesty did not know whether the ones she'd picked would come back to haunt her. All of his experiences on different planets had taught him there was no set rule when it came to the colours warning of danger. On this planet it seemed that red was the sign of a sweet berry – on the planet Paeri it had meant poison! Had his daughter had enough experience and expertise handed down to her by the Namekian?

The sour face that slowly crept across her face almost made him smirk with amusement and he diverted his gaze down to his own food. Hairiyu winced as the strong and pungent taste obliterated the entire cavern of her mouth and throat. With a strong desire not to swallow, she forced herself and gulped down the berries, sticking her tongue out with remorse. "Ugh these taste so bitter!" She wailed with discomfort.

Something bounced across the floor to her side, Hairiyu almost alarmed when she spotted the dead rabbit body now inches from her and almost flinching back a little in disgust. Disease-ridden, rigid and stringy were but a few of the words that crossed her mind. With dinosaur tail and fish it was different; she was happy to eat those. Fluffy adorable animals was a completely different story! She didn't know if she could make herself eat it though she knew to leave it would be a waste considering it was killed to be eaten. Now Hairiyu didn't know what to do and she still had that foul taste in her mouth! Reluctantly and greatly unhappy with what her mind was telling her to do she took hold of the carcass and aversely looked it up and down. It was so small and adorable but she couldn't really see any real meat on it. What a find her father had decided to give her!

"Eat," Her father's command made her jolt a little. "You were complaining about not having enough to eat for that blasted school." He snorted feverishly devouring the remains of the rodent he was currently munching through, now too disfigured for Hairiyu to recognise. She shuddered away from the sight and looked down once more at the animal before her.

Her stomach suddenly churned violently, eyes widening as she felt the blood rush to her warming face. She recognised that feeling. Hurriedly she bolted off her feet and dashed into the bushes; her father watching her with a little confusion. The sounds of retching answered his question and he rolled his eyes with annoyance. So the Namekian hadn't done so well with his brat after all.

"What do you mean you're not going in?" Bulma was furious, eyes darting quickly to her partner who had started to empty the fridge of its contents despite his meal earlier on – what he'd called a snack! She knew he probably had something to do with it, dragging their eldest child out at the crack of dawn despite knowing full well she had school today! That man of hers had some nerve! "How can you be sick? You've never been ill – ever!"

"Mama, I hurled my breakfast several times on the way here," Hairiyu groaned looking pale-faced and still feeling as if her stomach would strike again with another bout of half-digested berries. She didn't feel as dodgy as she had done before but she didn't want to chance it in case she hurled at school! Her body was exhausted and she needed a drink and the last thing she wanted was to throw up in front of everyone else!

Bulma sighed reluctantly. She couldn't deny she hadn't seen her daughter look so off-colour before and concurred. "Fine... take the day off." She turned to Vegeta who was still nosing around in the fridge. "I'm sure your father will be happy to know he's gotten you out of school! Unfortunately you can't train if you're sick!"

Hairiyu sighed and waddled off back to bed, desperate to catch up on some sleep and hopefully sleep off the rough feeling she held in her stomach. In any case she needed to brush her teeth just to get the taste from her mouth!

As their daughter left Bulma strode over to the Saiyan, hands on her hips, "I hope you're proud of yourself! I told you it's the law of my people that children her age must attend school! If she doesn't then I could get into a lot of trouble! Now it may not concern you but you'd do well to remember if I get into trouble and end up being sent to prison, you won't get your gravity room fixed, you won't get your food cooked for you and you won't be living here anymore!"

"Your father can fix it, your mother can cook and who says I still want to live here with a banshee like you?" Vegeta responded not even giving her any eye contact. "... Your daughter's not as smart as I thought she was. The girl poisoned herself most likely."

"If you'd let her eat her breakfast here like a civilised person, she'd still be going to school!" Bulma growled turning away and striding over to the counter where she'd left her coffee mug. "I'm allowing you to train her despite her not being an early riser. She's your daughter Vegeta; why didn't you say anything to her if you knew they were poisonous?" The lack of response riled her further and she huffed with annoyance, taking a quick sip of the dark liquid perking herself a little more. "I thought you were actually starting to take an interest in her? You haven't even given her a thought until the Cell Games. What changed?"

Vegeta contemplated the thought; that was something he'd been asking himself a lot recently. Why the sudden interest? He'd told his daughter he'd only started to train her to make her stronger than Gohan. Whilst this was partly true it wasn't the whole truth. For the first time Vegeta had seen the harsh reality and once again it had been his late rival and fellow Saiyan that had shown him the error of his ways. Blast that Kakarrot; he'd seen the potential in his brat that Vegeta'd been so sure wasn't there. He'd been certain that from the moment he'd seen her snivel and cower against Nappa, she was of no use to his plan to defeat Freeza, she was a failure of a Saiyan tainted by her human blood and upbringing. He'd even been intent on killing her! Yet Kakarrot had happily allowed her to train with him and his son in the room of Spirit and Time and had turned her into a fine warrior, capable of the legend their race hadn't seen in a millennia. She was certainly the first female Super Saiyan Vegeta was aware of, although that could have just been because of how inaccurate records of past Super Saiyans had been kept; the legend being passed down as word-of-mouth. (It didn't mean it hadn't happened before, it was that he wasn't aware of a past incident.) The sheer power she had obtained from his tutoring had struck a clear message to Vegeta; their methods and ways of training surely had better effects than his had had. First they had trained as Super Saiyans until the form became natural. Above all, it seemed training together and having a sparring partner earned a far greater power than just training alone.

Was that his reason? To have a decent sparring partner and grow far, far stronger? Would the woman or the brat be happy to know the truth or would they rant on about how self-centred and insensitive it was... or something like that? Vegeta decided it would be best to leave without a word. So he did, much to the disgruntlement of his woman who muttered a few choice words under her breath.

Tomorrow his brat would be woken once again before the crack of dawn and this time she would learn which berries not to pick!


End file.
